Medway cable takes a trip 'Behind the Music'

Tanya Girgenrath/Daily News correspondent

Sunday

Aug 31, 2008 at 12:01 AMAug 31, 2008 at 8:46 PM

In terms of television, the summertime is one of the least exciting seasons of the year. Channels are flooded with reruns of fall episodes while fans patiently await September, when old shows return and new ones premiere. For Medway residents, a new television season arrived early.

In terms of television, the summertime is one of the least exciting seasons of the year. Channels are flooded with reruns of fall episodes while fans patiently await September, when old shows return and new ones premiere.
For Medway residents, a new television season arrived early.
The town's local studio, Cable 8, created a new show for the channel in July called ``Behind the Music In Our Community.'' Each episode of the show will spotlight a local musician or a group of musicians.
The first production was completed in early July through the collaboration of Norm Schneider, a member of the cable board, his wife Iyawata Schneider, cable studio manager Joseph McLaughlin, and the featured artist, Ronda Matson.
``The project involved a lot of planning. Since it was the first episode, we had to come up with a format, which was mostly taken care of by Norm and Iyawata Schneider,'' McLaughlin said.
Each show will follow the same basic format: an interview with the artist and several performances of their work.
``(Norm and Iyawata) then discussed the format with Ronda Matson, the performer,'' McLaughlin said. ``Once we had that taken care of, we designed a small set and then just spent a few hours taping it.''
Matson, a local folk musician, had done similar performances in the past and was enthusiastic to be involved in the project.
``I was invited to be a part of the show, and I just thought it sounded so great. I've done something like it before for Hopkinton's cable channel, but the format of this was very different,'' Matson said. ``In Hopkinton, it was a concert in front of a live studio audience of about 40 to 50 people. For `Behind the Music,' it was an informal interview setup, which is something I hadn't done before.''
The show is produced in the cable studio at Medway High School. It is a highly equipped space with three professional studio cameras that they used to film the show.
``It's one thing to do a performance when I've got my guitar in front of me and I'm very comfortable, but it's a different thing all together to be interviewed in a three-camera shoot, which is what it was,'' Matson said. ``It's a whole other ballgame!''
The first episode of the series can be seen on Medway Cable at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily. Footage from the show can also be found on Matson's Web site, www.rondamatson.com.
``I think it turned out really well for a first episode, and I think it turned out really well for Ronda,'' McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin's positive feeling about the show is corroborated by the fact that another band has approached him about being featured.
Local band Songs for Ceilidh is up next on ``Behind the Music.''
``Basically what happened is another artist was featured on the show and one of our band members is on her e-mail list,'' said Scott Price, lead singer and guitarist for the band. ``So she had sent out an e-mail saying she was going to be featured on the show, and he thought, `Well wait a minute, if she's going to be on there, we should be on there!'''
Songs for Ceilidh is a locally based, Celtic-inspired band that does performances in the area. Doing the show, according to Price, is a way to publicize their music.
``Getting the TV exposure is great, so people can know that there's a local band here and this is what we do,'' Price said. ``Also, it'll be nice to have some clips to put up on our Web site (www.songsforceilidh.com) so we can tell people who are interested in our music to check us out. Really, we just want to be able to present ourselves to other people.''
It is a particularly beneficial time for the band to get attention, as they will be recording their first full-length album in November.
``Right now we're looking to set up a date to tape the show,'' Price said. ``We'll be recording our first full-length CD on Nov. 22, so we are going to try and see if we can get them to film the show (then). I think it will be an interesting backdrop to the show to watch a small, local band put together their first CD.''
The show has just begun, but judging by the interest shown by local bands and residents alike, ``Behind the Music in Our Community'' seems to promise a long, successful series.
``I think it's great that the cable studio is doing a show like this,'' said former cable studio employee Kevin Mee. ``I don't really remember them doing anything like it when I worked there, and it's too bad, because I would have liked to be part of this kind of production. I've seen the show, and it's very well done. Hopefully it gets people's attention.''
For more information, contact Medway Cable Access at info@medwaycable.com

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